Death is an unfortunate part of nature. Every animal, including cats, will someday have to die. This can be from any circumstance, due to illness, an accident, or just from old age. Cats and how they handle death can be significantly different to how we humans treat death. Some rumors suggest that a cat will run off when it knows it will die. Because of this, people often have many different questions about how cats handle themselves when they are dying, and what they actually do about it. Here we will answer some questions concerning how cats handle themselves when they are dying. With that said let’s take a deeper look.
Do Cats Know They’re Dying?
It is basically pretty much well known that humans know they are dying, at least usually. Sometimes death can strike us by surprise, and we go in our sleep. Or a fatal accident can cause sudden death. But if it is an illness or something else, we usually know. But because of this, people wonder if cats know if they are dying.
The answer may be complicated with this one and might be left up to personal opinion. Cats might indeed know when they are dying. But people argue that they don’t know they are dying because they can’t grasp what death is, since they cannot reason as humans do.
Some people beg to differ, though. Cats will at least know something is wrong based on their behavior (something we will mention later), and because of this, it is proof that cats know when they are dying.
Just because they can’t grasp what the idea of dying means doesn’t mean that the cat doesn’t understand there might be something wrong at the very least. Of course, they know something is wrong, it is their body. But they might not understand that they are dying either, and think they might feel sick. This is literally left to people’s own interpretation.
What Does a Cat Do Before It Dies?
Because we mentioned how a cat’s behavior might change before it dies, people then wonder how exactly this behavior changes, and what exactly a cat does before it dies. Like all animals, even humans, their behavior changes before they die, and cats are not alone in this. So just how does that behavior change?
You may find that your cat’s temperament might change. You may be wondering why your cat might change from being outgoing and sweet, to it wanting to be in a secluded area and be left alone, (something we will go into more detail about later). This is because they want to be comfortable before they die. They don’t want to be in any pain, so they will likely be looking for a comfortable place as their place to die.
Your cat might also become inactive. This is especially true as it ages as well, This is usually a sign that they are about to die too, and when you notice other symptoms combined with this one, you might want to prepare yourself for your cat’s death.
Another sign might be that they lose their appetite. A dying cat will hardly eat, if at all. This is a big sign that your cat might be close to its death, too.
Do Cats Like to Be Alone When They Die?
We discussed how cats might change their temperament before they die and how they might want to be left alone before they die. You might see your cat under your bed and wonder why it is doing that, and while yes, of course, cats sometimes might want to be left alone, when your cat is constantly doing it, it could be a red flag that it is nearing its death.
So yes, cats do like to be left alone before they die. But why is that? There is a variety of reasons for this behavior.
For starters, they might want to be left alone and go to a secluded area (like under a bed) so that they are the most comfortable they can be before they die. They want to be in the least amount of pain as possible.
They also will go to places where it is quieter because they don’t want loud noises disrupting them. They might go to places that are cool and dark too so that it is as comfortable for them as it can be. Would you want to be around loud noises if you were dying? Probably not, so you can see why cats would do this.
See Also: How Much Exercise Do Domestic Cats Need?
And: Why Do Domestic Cats Kill Birds?
Will a Cat Wander Off to Die?
Because we talked about how cats might try to find a place comfortable enough to die, people might often think that a cat will wander off to die, never to be seen again.
The answers may vary with this one, and it depends on what your cat wants and desires to do before its death. This also includes if your cat is an indoors or outdoors cat, too.
With indoor cats, yes, they probably will run off before they die. As we mentioned, they will go to a comfortable spot before their death. So, if your cat wanders off and goes under the bed constantly, it probably wants to be left alone and is nearing death. If you find that your indoor cat is nowhere to be seen, check in areas that are secluded for cats. This includes checking under the bed and other remote and quiet places like that.
For an outdoors cat, they might wander off to a place never to be seen again. This is because of their instincts and they know something is wrong. So, if you have an old cat that wandered off and it showed other signs that it might be dying, it probably wandered off to die. As sad as it sounds, it probably is the best choice for it.
Conclusion
We talked about how a cat’s behavior might change before it dies. We also talked about if a cat does know it is dying. We then talked about if a cat wants to be left alone before it dies and found that cats typically do like being left alone. Then we finally mentioned how cats might wander off before they die, too. We should also mention if you have any concerns about your cat, it probably is best to contact a vet as soon as possible. We hope you learned something new and we answered some of your questions about a cat’s death.
Featured image: An Old Cat Resting on the Grass
